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Houston councilmember unveils evacuation boat for flood-prone District J
Summary
Councilmember Edward Pollard and Houston Fire Department officials unveiled a new evacuation boat in the Black Braeburn Valley neighborhood to help residents during high-water events; the vessel will be housed in District J and deployed citywide, officials said.
Councilmember Edward Pollard on a morning event in the Black Braeburn Valley neighborhood of Houston’s District J unveiled a new evacuation boat purchased to help residents reach safety during heavy flooding and to give first responders an additional high-water asset.
Pollard said the idea was raised early in his council term after discussions with the Houston Fire Department and that the vessel represents a significant local investment. "This particular neighborhood...routinely floods with heavy rains," Pollard said, adding the purchase is "almost a $100,000" and has been budgeted for over time by his office.
Chief Pena of the Houston Fire Department thanked Pollard’s office and Mayor Whitmire for approving funds for life-safety equipment and placed the new boat in the context of the department’s expanding fleet: "Since then, with the commitment from council and the mayor's office, we've been able to increase our high water vehicles to 15. We got, over 20 boats," he said. Chief Pena said the new boat will be housed in District J but have deployment responsibilities throughout the city.
Captain Pat Moreno, coordinator for the marine group and district 14 tactical deployment division, described the boat as a durable, next-generation craft and said it is the department’s number 22 evacuation boat. "These boats are able to carry 12 people at a time," Moreno said, describing the larger boats as the department’s "people mover" assets that augment smaller craft and high-water vehicles.
Officials described operational limits that determine when boats are used: Moreno said the department’s high-water vehicles are limited to about 30 inches of water, beyond which crews deploy boats and use a "mother ship" concept to transfer evacuees to high-water vehicles for transport to dry land.
Moreno also cited recent demand for water rescues: he said the department responded to 240 water incidents last year across Houston and recalled that during Hurricane Harvey the department responded to roughly 1,000 such incidents, underscoring the need for additional assets.
Pollard thanked residents for working with the city on neighborhood safety efforts and said his office will continue funding maintenance, operations and equipment for the fire department. Officials said department personnel will train on the new boat; no formal council vote or ordinance occurred at the event.
The event concluded with acknowledgements for the fire personnel on site and a reminder that the boat is intended to improve response times and resident safety during the upcoming hurricane season.
